Q&A with True Food Kitchen's GM Beth Centlivre & Head Chef Jordan Herigstad

GM Beth

Robert Gagnier: When did you realize that working in the culinary world was something you wanted to do?

Beth: Well for me it was an interesting path. I was working for an investment advisor at the time, Doug Kollus who used to be the CEO for Islands Burgers. On occasion he would ask me about working with him in the restaurant industry and because I was so miserable and he knew it! Eventually he offered me a position and said “you will be great in restaurants”. At no point in time in my previous career had I ever worked in the food industry! But I trusted him as a great human being and as a good man and I went ahead and tried it. And so Doug got me a job at Islands Burgers testing the waters as a host. Here I am at 29 in what was a most humbling time in my life I have to say! I was there for three or four months; got promoted to busing tables, and realized that hey, I love this-this is something I can really be a part of. And so Doug went on to help open his restaurant, of which I helped to open and also ran his corporate office as well. It was a whirl wind experience but I knew right away that this was the industry I wanted to be a part of. I worked there for about four years, and then organically met a few guys who worked for True Food as they began coming into the restaurant I worked at. And with my desire to learn more and more, and passion for the industry already in place, I eventually joined True Food Kitchen and here I am as GM at the new location in El Segundo!

RG: How long have you been with Fox Restaurant Concepts and has that time all been with True Food Kitchen?

B:It will be close to three years in February of next year.

RG: There seemingly are new Farm to Table restaurants popping up every other month here in Southern California.. What separates True Food from the rest of the pack, and why?

B: Unfortunately many people use the term "farm to table" in a cookie cutter type of way. The best part about True Food is that our culture began a long time ago when Sam Fox (owner Fox Restaurant Concepts) met Andrew Weil, M.D the world renown nutritionist from Harvard who spent his entire life studying ingredients from all over the world that were super unique and most people had no knowledge about. I think because of our unique genesis that came as a result of these two men meeting, our education into food took a hard right turn as far as sourcing and being able to cater to different dietary restrictions goes. Along with that educational process, we were schooled in how food is made around the world, how its grown. We have gone all over the world to source our proteins and our ingredients and constantly evolving based on various scientific studies. One example is how we took agave off the menu because we found out that it can negatively effect your body in the same way that high fructose corn syrup can. So what really separates us from the competition is what I like to call a “Silent Savvy”, because we are constantly changing and altering our menu in a manner that is in the interest of our customers overall health, as well as their taste buds. We do our best to cater to all of our loyal customers. You have those who want to know where their food is from, how it was grown, and who it was purchased from. Then you have a third of our people who love eating healthy and have perhaps a few dietary restrictions. Lastly, you have that group that just wants to come into your restaurant, eat something good, and aren't too concerned with specifics, but want to know that we are doing the right things.

Finally, we take pride in never substituting one item for another, and truly put in a ton of effort here at True Food Kitchen and would rather suffer monetarily as opposed to using ingredients or items that are not what our customers had planned on eating in the first place.

RG: What is typical day in the life of a GM at the True Food in El Segundo like?

B: It is a controlled chaos! Everyday is different, and that is why I love my job. But the rule of thumb remains the same: we want to serve great food and make people happy. That said, they're are many variables and things change everyday.

RG: If you had to chose, what is your favorite dish at True Food, and how often can someone catch you eating it?

B: It is so amazing-at least once a week I have the Organic Tuscan Kale salad and Scottish Steelhead Salmon. You know the way we treat our Kale is so unique, and as a result of that treatment it is very high in citric acid-so it also goes very well with any seafood.

RG: Where are you from originally?

B: Born and raised in San Diego.

RG: What does the future look like for you now?

B: I don't know if I ever would want to own my own restaurant specifically, but I know that I joined Fox Restaurant Concepts because I became a part of something in which I could pursue excellence and be the best I can be. I'm in a role where I continue to learn. I'll want to be a part of something great as opposed to merely working for someone.

Jordan-Head Chef

RG: How have you been in your current role as Head Chef at True Food?

Jordan:I just accepted this position about eight weeks ago. Before I came up here I was splitting time between our San Diego location and here. I officially moved to L.A. and accepted the position about five weeks ago. L.A. is a great city especially for a chef-there are so many places to get varying types of food-it's absolutely incredible.

RG: Most chefs I have spoken to talk about how they are part of a team and how important it is that it function like a well oiled machine. Which other positions in the kitchen do you really count on to help you out, and are there a few in particular that you feel doesn't get its fair share of attention or appreciation?

J: I would have to say my most respect goes to a dishwasher and a porter. Those guys have grueling jobs and it is non-stop. That means from the moment we open our doors and let our employees in through the door. It is not a fun position by any means, but it is where you start in any kitchen. The porter position is also critical because they are constantly checking on your produce-making sure rotation happens. This is especially true for a restaurant like ours because it is so produce driven. Freshness is critical as our quality has to be 100
percent all of the time. It is a very labor intensive position. The other position I would like to add from a management standpoint is my executive sous chef. He is my right hand man and has to have the foresight that I have. So if I am looking on in one direction, he is looking in the other for me. He needs to be six to seven steps ahead of everything that happens in our restaurant.

RG: What age were you when food first became a passion for you to pursue it to the degree that you have so far?

J: I knew this was what I was going to do back when I was eight years old and in my mothers kitchen. I constantly wanted to help her cook, and she finally allowed me to help a bit on our family meals. I come from an Italian family; and food is huge for us, a very communal thing. And so I fell in love with everything that
went into making the food-it just clicked. I was sixteen when I started cooking professionally; but my first job was as a dishwasher, then I began prepping. I then took a little break and began working with coffee for a couple of years as a barista and helping to open cafes out in Phoenix.

RG: Who were some of the people who inspired you to ultimately become a head chef?

B:My mother of course, but also an older chef I began to work with back in Arizona named Travis King back when I was 19 and getting back into the kitchen. So when I went to this restaurant to apply for a position; the chef pulled me out back. It was then that he asked me what is it that I wanted to do. I informed him that I wanted to be a chef, and was willing to do any and everything it took to accomplish that. I told him that I would be here everyday, all day until he kicked me out! It was then that he said, "ok.....get in there"! And so it was that I was put in a lot of trying situations; things that I wasn't prepared for initially, but he continued to push me ahead. He told me, "if you want to be a leader, you need to have a voice in the kitchen". "People need to listen to you; learn who you are, and respect you. But you also have to know how to lead". That kind of pushed me right there. Those qualities were instilled in me then and carried on.

RG: What is your favorite dish at True Food El Segundo?

J: It would definitely have to be our Red Chile Noodles dish-that has been a staple for me!

RG: What is the easiest to prepare, aside from deserts, and the most difficult?

J: I really love the simplicity of our kale salad. Its a staple item on our menu. It consists of olive oil, lemon, garlic, and red chili flakes. You marinate it-there is no cooking process involved its actually the acidity from the lemon juice that is doing the work. It makes it so tender and the flavor that you get from the
fresh garlic and lemon juice is incredible. The most difficult preparation that we currently have would be our Ancient Grains bowl. It's not that the technique is difficult; but rather the production that goes into making the plate with all of the varying vegetables that go into it. It's one of our top sellers currently, and it's a constant job to stay ahead of the demand.

RG: What is perhaps the least known but super important aspect of being a head chef?

J: When it comes to my role, you are never just a chef. You are a mentor, and a teacher to a lot of up and coming chefs-people who have a passion for cooking. You are there for them and whatever they need, sometimes personal matters as well. You are an ear for them, and you are there to listen. That is your team and it's up to you to keep their morale high. In order for your team to be constantly productive, they have to be happy. So there is this awareness that you want to have-that you are taking care of your staff and your team. They are there for you, and are working their butt off for you. Sure they are getting paid, but we are all in this industry because we love it and take pride in the process that goes into creating such great food and a great experience for our guests. But it takes a great team to do that and you want your team to be happy-and you achieve that by being there for them and listening to their concerns.

RG: Do you see preparing farm to table cuisine as a bit more challenging than perhaps other traditional dishes?

J: It can seem challenging at first, but its a challenge that you rise to-you learn to become great at it. I think anytime you take on a new concept you have to learn how to do it the right way. But with our menu; we are constantly working with strictly fresh ingredients, so the flavors that emerge speak for themselves. Ultimately we take an enormous amount of pride in what we do, and we go at it with 100%
effort.